Sydney - Day 9: Bidding Australia Goodbye and heading home

It's the last day in Sydney and also the final day at Bondi Beach.  I checked out earlier as I wanted to have ample time to check in prior to flying back to Singapore.

I had a brief conversation with the lady at the hostel's counter (didn't get her name though) and though it was short, it was a nice chat.  Took a one way bus back (A$2.10) to Bondi station and the back a ride back to International Airport.  That single trip costed about A$20ish one way; looks like I have purchased the return trip in MyMulti3.

This was one of the most wonderful and fruitful trip for me.  I'll definitely miss Australia!

Another 7 hours flight one way and I'll be home.  Here are some aerial shots taken on the way back.  I believe some of these are the volanoes across Indonesia:

I'll definitely revisit Australia!

Sydney - Day 8: The Rock, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Moor's Wharf

The last visit to Inner Sydney to cover some places which I have not seen during the past few days.  First stop was to The Rock, one of the oldest part in Australia which still preserves the authentic Australian flavour where architectures are still preserved.

This place has been converted to a tourist attraction area with souvenir shops, eateries and dining places.









Syndey Harbour Bridge can be seen across, so I decided to take a walk down and up the stairs where I can get a paranomic view of the city across the sea.

 Up this bridge, one can have a good view of the city across the sea, with strong cool wind and seeing bridge walkers dressed in neutral colours walking across the bridge.

I decided to walk down to the quieter place behind The Rocks and found some beautiful residence, and at the same time, it was nearing sunset at Moor's Wharf and I decided to take this as a parting shot.  Afterall, tonight will be my final night in Sydney.






Sunset, and it was time to set back to Bondi.

Sydney - Day 7: Northlands

A journey to the North for today.  I have plans to travel further up, but somehow got distracted by this old town, Wyong, and decided to take a look around this area.

A painted welcoming signboard on one of the building talks about how old this town has been around for.  As I started off later than usual today, it's time for lunch, so I found myself some fish and chips from Jolly Pelican. 

For $A15, you get a pretty large serving, so much so that I had to get a lemonade (A$3.9) to disspell the oily sensation within me.



 A little exploration around the town show how peaceful and quiet it is; there's even a used goods store just a walk behind the dining place I had lunch.  A quiet water body flows behind the town; simply tranquil to sit here and relax.

On the journey back, the sun's ready to set and I could see several yatchs parked along the pier; there are even 2 pillars wedged into the sea for a defuct railway track which used to exist.

Back to Bondi after sunset; it's time for dinner and planning for the next day.

Sydney - Day 6: Mossvale, Wyong

A journey to the Southlands today.  I had to wake up earlier as the journey will be even farther than those I had taken before.

Packed with more fruitbars and water, it's time to set out to on that long journey.


There were instances where I fell asleep in the train with the camera still strapped to myself, held in one hand after several shots of the countryside life which is something not seen in the cityish settings of Singapore.

Animals could be seen grazing freely in the fields or swimming in water bodies.




















So after a 4 hour ride, here we are, at Mossvale.  The weather suddenly turned rainy but fortunately, it was a passing shower which was taken away quickly by a gust of wind.  Here comes the sun.  I wanted to visit some places such as  Back O The Moon but the bus schedule was more than an hour away, so I decided to walk around the town for a little while before heading off.

The train was delayed back on the platform so I spent more than 1/2 hour waiting; an elderly lady chatted up with me about the weather for awhile which further showed how friendly the locals are.

Temperature was possibly about 2 degrees as my camera felt like ice and some passengers went into the waiting room to avoid being chilled by the cold wind.

A 4 hour journey back and I had fish and chips for dinner ran by a Chinese (A$9); decently tasty and it's soon time for me to plan for the next day at the nearby Maccas.

Check out the number of seagulls descending on the beach on an evening!

Sydney - Day 5 Part 2: Southlands

Another journey into the southernlands  Early morning setout and I could see early birds feeding on the grasspatch outside Bondi Beach.  Boxers could be seen exercising early out in the morning.

As the train chucks its way across the country, one could see peaceful places of water bodies and lush greeneries across the land.

It took me awhile to get around these places and finally returning to Bondi for dinner and planning for the next day's trip.

Sydney - Day 4 Part 1: Base 2 - Bondi, Scaborough

Planned and decided that I will head to Bald's Hill Lookout at Scaborough, which is located in the South Coast.


I was greeted by this barking dog which was strapped to the lamppost while the owner could not be identified; probably he / she is dining nearby as I was setting out in the early hours for the long journey.

Many people can be seen relaxing along the beach; the sun was up and wind still feels cooling.

Along the train route, one can see many rural houses; I took a shot of this as it seemed to be either half demolished or it could also be abandoned.

After several hours of train ride, here I am, at Bald's Hill Lookout.  A beautiful view from the above which the destructive waves look rather peaceful from this height.  Wind was strong and it would be a beautiful place to just sit down and chill out.

There are quite a few houses along this area, and even a hotel which was at one quiet corner, which is about 5mins walk from the railway station.
 
It was already hitting dinner time so the sun has set and is looking pretty dark soon. 








Dinnertime.  I settled for a medium rare beef steak set at Bondi, which comes with seasoned fries (about A$16), some pasta, finished with dips of mayonese and BBQ sauce.

That wraps up the meal for today and it's time to head back for some planning on the next day.

Sydney - Day 3 Part 2: Blue Mountains, Katoomba

Here comes the next part.

This is a much further journey as I move right to the other end of the city, to the outskirts, bound for Blue Mountains.  Journey is about 4 hours one-way and the long journey certainly makes one sleepy.   Check out the sceneries around during my train journey;

trains are much slower as compared to that of Singapore as life is much more in the rush of there.

So here I am.  I actually walked about 1.25km from the train station.  Houses with generous space can be seen along this road as I walked along.  Exchanged greetings with a lady who brought her child out and was walking along this pavement which leads to the National Park right at the end.

Check out how still and beautiful the waters are here!  It took me awhile to reach as I needed to hike downhill to this place; the elevation was about 40 degrees.  Bikers and hikers whom I don't know also greeted me like anyone else and we simply exchanged greetings.  At the bottom of Glenbrook Creek, I took some time to eat up before heading up to the top of the Park.

Next destination: Katoomba town in hope to get to the close to the Blue Mountains and have a look at the 3 Sisters.

The town, Katoomba, is right at the the top of the hilly area where strong wind can be seen flapping the flags that mark the town real hard.  There's even a refinery like building which now looks like a regular building which houses regular shops.  It's known to ice on roads at this climte so one can see signboards on roads warning of the slipperyness.  From the bus schedule, it looks not workable since they only come by every hour.

By near 5pm, the sun is about to set, so it's time to head back.  Tonight's dinner:  Doner kebab which goes for A$8.  Being full of meat, it'll keep me warm for the night.  Back to base and time to plan for the next day.

Crispy and hot.  Great choice for the cooling climate.

Sydney - Day 3 Part 1: Koala Sanctuary Park & Lisgar Gardens

Time for a longer journey, to the outer skirts of the city.  It's time to see the koalas!

Pennant Hills is a quieter town as compared to inner Syndey.  The local buses take a little longer than expected as most people who commute here drive their own vehicles.

It has a little feel of countryside life as it's much less busier here.

Alight at Pennant Hills stations and take Bus 651 to get to Koala Park. The bus journey is about 10mins which will bring you directly to the Park.

Here I am!  The long awaited close proximity to see koalas at close proximity.  I learnt from a friend who has been living here that koalas are all over the Sydney bridge and they get moved over here by "batters" who bring them down from the bridge.

 Entrance fee is A$26 and there's quite a fair bit of things to see though it's a pretty small park.  I love the koalas who sleep 20 hours a day.  In winter, the eucalyptus leaves are scarce, which are their primary source of food.  See how cosily they sleep; at least I got a shot with the koala here so it's one of those shots of myself.  They've even got a minty smell and their fur has a unique feel of softness.

 

There's a kangaroo enclosure which allows one to get upclose and personal with them.  They're pretty tame and adorable too.  Other animals that can be seen here are the mini penguins, bats, and wallaroos.

Next place to visit will be Lisgar Gardens, tucked in the quiet town of Hornsby.  The train station here is a little like an interchange.  In any case, it's still within walkable distance for me to get to this small garden.

About 15mins' walk and I am here.  It's nicely managed by those living in the county.  Beautiful fauna and flora is set in this place; probably the climate allows these temperate plants to grow well.

 The place closes at 3:30pm so I can't hang out here too long.  Good idea to stop over for lunch nearby, since the town centre is nearby and there's quite a few places for me to pick something to eat.  After looking through, I decided on a burger which should give me enough energy for the next place.

More updates in the next part.  Stay tuned!

Sydney - Day 2: Sydney Harbor Bridge, Darling Harbour

Heading out to more places today.  First stopover; Maccas just behind my accomodation.

Temperature was about 10ish degrees when I got out; but anyhow, it's time to head out to Darling Harbour as I will be meeting Edmund there.  Such coincidence since he's here for work.

Here's a view of Darling Harbour.

I saw a bird perched on a structure out of the water surface.  After observing for awhile, it sure looks like a real bird drying itself out in the wind, standing on one leg.









The architectures here are definitely beautiful.  Such buildings are not uncommon around town.  Nearby the harbour, there's a Chinese garden where storks can be seen even on trees at the early hours.

The cooling weather will be wonderful for anyone to be out.  Bus 501 brings me to Anzac Bridge, which has an area of residence quietly tucked near the water body.  The locals are definitely friendly; I was snacking on my sandwich, seated near the waterway while snapping my photos and the lady greeted me while walking her dog.







Moving on back to inner Sydney city for lunch at Chinatown.  Spicy mapo tofu rice served with hot Chinese tea for A$9.  It's tasty but for


So now, here's some shots of Sydney Harbour Bridge via a boatride.  It goes a round and one can alight at the other side to explore before heading back to the main harbour.  MyMulti can also be used for this boat ride.

At Sydney Harbour Bridge, one can book a bridge walking experience on this bridge in a special suit designed to avoid distractions to motorists travelling underneath.

Sunsets pretty quickly here in this season, so it's soon sunset when I was done with the boatride.

It's time for dinner and planning for the next day.  Time to head back to base.

Sydney - Day 1, Inner Sydney

There's a whole lot of wild birds such as storks and especially seagulls, who have migrated from the shores into cities to enjoy what humans eat.  It's not uncommon to see those greedy seagulls sauntering around you while you sit down at a bench to eat...so here's one of them who stood close to me while I was eating at a bench:

I was quite fortunate to catch sight of a vintage-looking Rolls Royce which was used as a wedding car that was driven by one of the best men who stopped infront of me while I was crossing a minor road.

It's winter here so the sun sets much earlier; furthermore this is my first time visiting a 4 season country and in the coolest season of the year.  That was what I came exactly here for and I love this temperature so far.  There's even a Korean street near Pitt Street where they sell all sorts of Korean merchandise from food to personal use items; definitely there's a considerable population of Koreans living in this city.  It's also quite surprising to see beggars at corner of streets holding signboards, kneeling for hours who are able-bodied.
 

Alright, dinner time.  No Burger Kings, but they call it "Hungry Jacks" so here's my fill for the night.  It's quite a enjoyable to sit quietly eating, watching people go by at the window seats and you don't get people disturbing you though there's quite a bunch of youngsters who haunt this place for the cinemas and other entertainments.  The typical western city life look.

Queen Victoria's Building is filled with boutiques which cater to those who like fine attires.  However, shops are already closed when I arrive here after dinner.  Shops close at 5:30pm here so it's not unusual that you can't get anything after those hours.  If you're lucky, you can find a convenience stall that runs later into the night.

Considering the cold climate, eateries have a heat tower which keeps patrons warm so it can be seen around town like this.  Here's Chinatown which I have to explore some day later as it's time to get back for the day.